The man of faith instinctively mentions how "blessed" he is, the way other people barely can string together three sentences without reflexively sprinkling in a "you know" four times. And when you look at the whole of it, well, if you don't believe Matt Forte is blessed, you at least have to admit something seems to be going on.

After all, the former Tulane star has fallen into what only can be described as a perfect situation: An every-down-type running back paired with the Chicago Bears, a team that, mere weeks after drafting him, shockingly had not one single every-down-type running back other than him.

The Bears always have, and seemingly always will, rise and fall on the strength of a stingy defense and strong running game, same as it did a couple of seasons ago when it beat the Saints in the NFC championship game and reached the Super Bowl.

"It's been exciting since I got drafted," said Forte, who ran 361 times for 23 touchdowns and 2,127 yards as a senior at Tulane, the seventh-highest single-season yardage total in NCAA history. "I was just blessed to be drafted.

"I wasn't really paying too much attention to the situation. A lot of people say, 'Now, your role is more expanded since he's gone,' and all that stuff. But in my mind, it's really kind of the same. Coach Lovie (Smith) took me in, and he was like, 'Don't feel like you have a lot of pressure on you.' My mind-set, when I first got there, was I was going to go in and compete and try to get playing time anyway."

As of now, without ever having put on pads, picked up a blitz or been on the receiving end of an NFL tackle, he's set to get as much playing time as any rookie running back.

The "situation" and the "he" to which Forte referenced is former Bears first-rounder Cedric Benson, the No.¤ 4 overall pick in 2005 and a $16¤million bonus baby whom Chicago nonetheless found necessary to cut June 9. Twice this offseason underachieving Benson was arrested after alcohol-related incidents.

"Of course (I feel sorry for him)," Forte said. "You don't want anything bad like that to happen to anybody, especially in the situation he's in. I think having him would have been a lot better for our team. You need at least two or three running backs in the NFL now -- everybody runs with two, or even three.

"I think he really would have helped us out, and it's a shame, because he's a really good guy. I spent a lot of time with him during (offseason training activities) when I was there, and it was just a shame to see what happened.

"You can't harp on it or stay stuck on it. You have to look forward, just like any other obstacle in life."

But let's not be naive. If Benson had been a two-time 1,000-yard rusher, Forte wouldn't have been the Bears' second-round pick (No.¤44 overall) in April. He wouldn't have been in Chicago or able to forge the little relationship with Benson that he did.

Production covers a myriad of sins, and Benson, who ran for just 1,593 yards and 10 touchdowns in three seasons in Chicago, averaging 3.8 yards per carry, didn't have nearly enough of it to cover his.

So Forte, the former Slidell star who originally was insurance to guard against the possibility of Benson again failing to achieve his promise, became the feature back the day Benson was shown the door.

Smith said the Bears have no plans to go after a veteran back later this summer. That certainly should be music to Forte's ears, but he'd be wise to not dance to it. Coaches and general managers treat football as if they're in the espionage business; they'll say whatever is convenient at the time and adjust accordingly.

Still, that doesn't diminish the fact Chicago picked Forte early, signed him early (a reported three-year, $3.71 million deal with $2 million in bonuses) and was impressed with him early.

"Matt Forte stood out," Smith said at minicamp, before Benson was cut. "I thought he caught the ball well. He showed some good quickness, he has good size. All the things we thought coming in, we got a chance to see.

"Matt Forte has never played a down for us here. He's like all other rookies, starting from the bottom and working up. (But) we like what Matt Forte brings. When you draft a player that high, you're expecting him to eventually play and have a role with your team."

For Forte, eventually appears to be now. His role, to play the position made legendary in Chicago by the likes of Gale Sayers and Walter Payton.

"It's a great task," he said. "I'm just happy to be in that situation. It's a big dream, and we always dream big. So just to be in these shoes right now is a blessing. I'm just ready to prove myself and hopefully, have a career where I can eventually be mentioned among those names.

"I think I've been placed in the perfect situation, with the history of the running backs for the Bears and also the city of Chicago, which is all about Bears football. So I don't think there's any better situation that I could have been in."

And yet, Forte approaches it with the poise of a veteran. If his pulse quickens, it only must be on gameday.

"That's just the way God made me," he said. "I'm very relaxed and calm in certain situations. I think that actually helps me in football, during the game, being calm and relaxed.

"I don't get nervous, and it helps me focus. A lot of the game is physical, but I think a lot more is mental ability. My ability to focus is what helps me."

It's what will help the Bears, too. And maybe, one day the franchise will feel as blessed as its current feature back.

John DeShazier can be reached at jdeshazier@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3410. 